Improvement in machines for punching the eyes of machine-needles



S. B, KENGMAN.

Machine for Punching the Eyes of Machine-Needles.

Patented April 20,1875:

1714) entom- THE GRAPHIC CO.PHOT0-LITH.39 84-1 PARK PLAGLNX- SAMUEL C.KINGMAN, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO YVHEELER 8.? WILSONMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR PUNCHING THE EYES 0F MACHINE-NEEDLES,

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 62,175, dated April 20,1875: application filed February 15, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL G. KINGMAN, o Bridgeport, in the county ofFairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented a new and ImprovedMachine for Punching the Eyes of SewingMachine Needles; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of theconstruction and operation of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings making a part of this specification.

The usual manner of punching the eyes of seu-inganachine needles hasbeen for the operator to hold half a dozen needles, more or less, by theshanks of the same, between the thumb and fore-finger of the left hand,and place each one of the blades of the same successively on the die,which is directly under a single punch, and operate upon one needle onlyat the same time, thus making it not only a very slow but a veryinaccurate process, for, as the grooves of each needle must necessarilybe placed in the sameplane, and in a proper position with respect tosaid punch anddie, great care, skill, and experience are required on thepart of the operator to produce perfectly central and well-formed eyes,and avoid obliquely or otherwise badly punched eyes. And the object ofmy invention is to more accurately, and at the same time more rapidlypunch the eyes in a given quantity of needles than by the process abovedescribed. And my improvement consists in controlling a series of two ormore needles, and operating a series of two or more punches, in such amanner that the eyes of all oi'said needles may be punchedsimultaneously, and at the same time, with greater accuracy than by themethod heretofore adopted.

1 will now proceed to describe the construction and operation of myimproved machine with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the series of punches and dies, andparts connected therewith, together with the needle-clamp and series ofneedles placed in position, for punching the eyes in said needles. Fig.2 is a front elevation of my improved machine, with the needle-clamp andneedles removed. Fig. 3 is a left-side elevation of the same, with theneedle-clamp and needles placed in position for punching the eyes insaid needles. Fig. 4 is a plan of the die-seat, with dies and keys inposition on the same. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the die-seat, dies,and keys through the line a: :10, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detachedperspective view of the needle-clam p, and series of needles secured bythe same. Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a die and punchremoved from the machine, in order to more clearly show the generalconstruction of the same. Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of asewing-machine needle, designed to show the form and relative positionof the eye punched in the same.

A is the bed and frame of the machine. B B are adjustable gibs, tittedto recesses in the front edge of the upright frame A. C is a slidefitted to V-shaped grooves in said gibs. D is a shaft fitted to bearingsin the upright frame. E is a cam secured to the shaft D. F is a leversecured to said shaft on the right side of the upright frame. G is thedie-seat secured to the bed of the machine. H is the punch-seat securedto the slide 0. a a are a series ofpunches fitted to grooves in thefront s de of the punch-seat H. l) b are a series of tapering keysfitted to the grooves by the sides of the punches a. a. c is a thin barsecured to the face of the punch'seat, and is designed to serve as astop or gage for the top end of the series of punches. d d are a seriesof springs secured to the bottom side of the punch-seat. e e are aseries of dies fitted to grooves on the top side of the die-seat G. f fare a series of tapering keys fitted to the grooves by the sides of thedies e e. gis a gage-bar secured to the rear side of the die-seat. h isan adjustable gage-bar secured to the front edge of the die-seat. i is aclamp for securing the series of needles j j. 70 is a screw passingthrough one ofthe levers of the clamp t. Z l are screws passing throughslots at m, near the front edge of the die-seat and into the gage-bar h,for securing the latter in a proper position with respect to the dies 6e. n n are bolts passing through slots 0 0, near the rear end of thedie-seat, and into the bed of the machine, for the purpose of securingsaid dieseat in a proper position with respect to the punches a (o. p pare a series of holes through the die-seat on the left side of the dies6 e, to allow the punched chips to pass from said dies. g is a groovedopening in the bed, under the holes 2) p in the die-seat, for thepurpose of receiving the punched chips as they pass from said holes. 1"is a spring for the purpose of raising the slide 0, and parts connectedtherewith, after the operation of punching the eyes in the needles.

I will now describe the practical operation of my improved machine withreference to the accompanying drawings.

It is to be understood that this machine is to be used in connectionwith the compound needlel-grooving machine for which Letters Patent weregranted to me January 19, 187 5, and the series of needles, togetherwith the clamp 'l, to be taken from said grooving-machine, after theoperation of grooving the blades in the same, and placed in position onthe die-seat of this machine, by first inserting the points of theneedles in the series of holes in the gage-bar g, and then placing theclamp on the adjustable gage h, bringing the edge of said clamp, whichis opposite the needles, against the stop which is on the front edge ofsaid gage, in the manner shown in the drawings, Figs. 1 and 3, the clampand needles being held in this position by the left hand of theoperator. The series of punches a a are now brought in contact with theneedle-blades by means of the lever F and cam E, the former being pulledforward by the right hand of the operator in the direction indicated bythe arrow drawn in front of the same, Fig. 3, until it reaches about theposition shown in broken outlines of the same, Fig. 3, which causes theseries of springs d d to reach the blades of the needles in advance ofsaid punches, and press said needle-blades firmly upon their respectivedies in the manner shown in broken outline, Fig. 3, while the points ofsaid punches pass through the blades, thus piercing and forming the eyesin a series of needles simultaneously.

The lever F is now raised to its original position, the slide 0 andparts connected therewith being raised by the action of the spring 0. Asthe springs d d reach the needleblades in advance of the punches, andpress firmly upon said blades during the operation of punching the eyesin the same, so also do said springs retain the pressure upon saidblades until after the points of the punches have passed from the eyeswhich have been pierced by said punches, thus serving as a pull-off fromthe punches and preventing the blades from being raised with the same.

It will be noticed that as the several needles are taken from thehereinbefore-described machine and placed in their respective positionson the die-seat in this machine before removing them from the clamp, thegrooves in said needles m ustnecessarily be exactly at right angles withsaid clamp and in the same plane with the punches and dies, thusinsuring perfectly central and well-formed eyes, and avoiding allliability of punching oblique or otherwise badly-punched eyes, by myimproved method of punching the eyes of sewing -machine needles. 1

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. In a machine for punching the eyes ofsewing-machine needles, the series of two or more punches, c a, seriesof two or more taperinggkeys, I) b, punch-seat H, series of two or moredies, 0 6, series of two or more tapering keys, ff, die-seat G, andadjustable gagebar h, with the clamp t', all constructed, arranged, andoperated for the purpose of punching the eyes of a series of two or moresewing-machine needles, substantially as and in the manner and for theobject set forth.

2. In a machine for punching the eyes of sewing'machine needles, theseries of two or more springs, (Z d, secured to the bottom of thereciprocating punch-seat H, in combination with the series of two ormore needle-eye punches, a. a, and tapering keys I) b, for the purposeof pressing the series of two or more needles firmly upon the series oftwo or more dies, 6 2, during the operation of punching the eyes in saidneedles, constructed and operating substantially as specified.

3. In a machine for punching the eyes of sewing-machine needles, incombination with the series of two or more needle-eye punches, a a, andthe series oftwo or more needle-eye dies, 0 e, the adjustable gage-bar11., secured to the front edge of the die-seat G, for the purpose ofgaging the series of two or more needles and clamp, "i, to a properposition with respect to the series of two or more dies, 0 e, andpunches at a, during the operation of punching the eyes in said needles,substantially as specified.

4. The combination of the frame A, adjustable gibs B B, slide 0, shaft1), cam E, lever F, die-seat Gr, punch-seat H, series of two or morepunches, a, a, series of two or more tapering keys, I) b, gage-plate 0,series of two or more springs, d (Z, series of two or more dies, e 6,series of two or more tapering keys, ff, gage-bar g, gage-bar IL, withthe clamp i, all constructed, arranged, and operated substantially asand for the object set forth.

SAML. O. KINGMAN.

Witnesses RosEwELL THOMPSON, ORLANDO P. KINGMAN.

